I'm P.C., and I have studied food and cooking around the world, mostly by eating, but also through serious study. Coursework at Le Cordon Bleu London and intensive courses in Morocco, Thailand and France have broadened my culinary skill and palate. But my kitchen of choice is at home, cooking like most people, experimenting with unique but practical ideas.

I love recipes like this. Quick and simple, but full of flavor. There’s a little twist here – the ingredients are few and straightforward, but a little out of the ordinary. Pork and fennel are a classic combination, frequently in slow-cooked roasts and braises, and fennel seed is a key ingredient in Italian sausage, […]

An easy weeknight treat is a great recipe to have on hand. I love this version of a a classic pizza casserole, updated my way with no jarred sauces or chemical laden boxed mixes. This is a real family pleaser, better than greasy delivery and easier than making or rolling out dough. A mix […]

As I remember it, trick or treating is hard work. Lots of walking, in what is invariably an uncomfortable costume, that heavy bag of candy and keeping your best manners on under all that stress. But the promise of a seemingly endless supply of fun-size candy bars made it all worthwhile. I even liked […]

It’s nice to have a really hearty, hot dip as part of the spread when the ravenous football hordes are hungry. This is a jazzed up version of a classic sausage dip recipe, with warm, winter flavor. Zesty Italian sausage with the bite of fennel is paired with woodsy sage and creamy, […]

I was once invited to bring a soup to a soup potluck and I readily agreed, because I love soup and getting together with friends to eat soup is a great idea. But I forgot that I had agreed to it, until the hostess called a day before to ask what soup I was […]

I do not have a particularly ethnic background. Basic Anglo-Scots stock. Okay, a WASP. I cherish my Southern heritage and all the great culinary traditions I have enjoyed, inherited, and try to preserve. But I’ve never had a Bubbe teach me to make latkes or an […]